บท 200: Chapter 200 - Live or Die: Make your Choice

The two stared at each other for a few moments and it was Daichi who broke the silence.

"Hello. My name is Daichi Hekima. I'm a Genin from the Leaf village…"

The man was silent as he looked at the Genin ninja.

Seeing his silence and his stone cold face, Daichi chuckled and spoke. "Something tells me you already know who I am…"

Junichiro said nothing and just gazed at the boy.

"The strong silent type huh? You know you're not doing much to break the stereotypes here."

Daichi looked at the man and just gave a small smile. "Oh I almost forgot…" He said to himself and took a kunai from his pouch and came near the tied up man.

Heiji frowned and Genma narrowed his eyes. Everyone else who was standing outside just looked on to see what would happen next.

Daichi placed the weapon on the table right in front of Junichiro. The man was secured to his seat and couldn't move his limbs so he could only stare at the sharp weapon.

Junichiro just looked at the kunai for a second and then turned to the boy. "If you think you can get me to talk by torture, you're severely underestimating me."

"He speaks! At last. For a second, I thought you were a mute… And no. I'm not going to torture you. I'm just here to talk." Daichi replied, taking his seat at the opposite end of the table.

Jedayu's guard was confused at that. "Then why the Kunai?"

"It's an experiment. I can't say anything more at the moment." Daichi didn't reveal the reason for putting the weapon in front of him and both of them fell into silence once again.

It was Junichiro who restarted the conversation. "How did you find that paper? I thought it was impossible to trace it."

"It would have been... Not to brag but you see, my senses are much sharper than the ordinary ninja's. I studied medical ninjutsu and learned to analyze particles even microscopic in nature. I examined the bed thoroughly and saw the faint discoloration on the wood due to the burn. There was a faint distinctive scent at that spot and I quickly figured out that Flash Paper was used. My sensei and the others did the rest... Hmm. Now that I'm saying it out loud it does sound like I'm bragging a little huh." Daichi chuckled to himself.

"Hmm…"

"I read your file. Lord Taji gathered some information about you the last time you were here in the Capital with your master, Jedayu."

Junichiro just tilted his head and scoffed. "You don't know anything about me."

"Oh on the contrary, I know quite a bit. Your family sold you to some wealthy merchant when you were just a boy. Several months later, he died in a bandit attack and you were out on the streets with no one to turn to. That's when the merchant Jedayu took you in. He raised you and soon you became his trusted aid. And you also have a genetic defect. Congenital anhidrosis. You can't feel pain." Daichi recalled the information he read on Junichiro.

'Lord Taji did extensive research on Jedayu and his guard last year. It was due to his son Wakamu but who would have thought that this info would come in handy like this at such a time.'

"You think you know me just because you read something in a file? You presume too much." The man was angry as he focused on Daichi's face.

"Alright, enlighten me. Tell me your story. I want to know where this deep devotion and loyalty to your master comes from." Daichi slightly leaned forward with a serious gaze and wanted to hear what the man had to say.

Junichiro was silent for a few seconds and then decided to indulge the Genin. "From the day I could remember, I never felt pain. My sense of touch was also mild. And because of that I always got into accidents and hurt myself. But I never cried about it. My birth parents… They were poor and couldn't take me to a doctor to get me checked. And they were disturbed that I got injured more often than the other kids and even more when I never showed any pain or anger when I got hurt. They called me a freak of nature."

Daichi's eyes slightly softened hearing that. "Ignorance breeds ignorance. What you have is a genetic mutation. Meaning they were the ones responsible for whatever defects you were born with. Of course God also played a part in giving you that shitty deal, if there is such an entity as God anyway."

Hearing that, the anger on Junichiro's face lessened. He continued with his story. "A wealthy merchant came and offered to buy me. What my parents saw as a curse, he saw as an opportunity. He bought me and kept me as a slave for his amusement. 5 months later, when I was out of the house, bandits struck and killed him. I became homeless and spent months on the streets. Going hungry for days and if lucky I would find some food in the trash to eat."

"Jedayu found you at this point didn't he."

The restrained man looked down and spoke in a soft tone. He had a small smile as he remembered that moment. "Yes. He saw a child trying to eat food that was covered in dirt and filth and took him in."

Junichiro stopped for a few moments and then with a hardened face looked up at the boy. "He cleaned me, bathed me, fed me, taught me how to read, write, took care of me when I was sick, he taught me how to laugh… He didn't care about my afflictions. He saw me as a son. And I look at him as my father… I swore a long time ago that I would do anything for his happiness."

"You're willing to die for him." Daichi said in a small soft tone.

"Yes. If giving my life means he could live then I will gladly do it without hesitation. No matter what you do to me, you won't get his location. I won't give you that information."

The conviction in his voice stirred something in Daichi's heart. 'I want that. Such loyalty and devotion. Damn! What I wouldn't give to have someone like him as my subordinate.'

The people outside the room frowned as they listened.

'That kind of loyalty. It's rare…' Genma looked at the man with new eyes.

'Such deep devotion. It's a shame Jedayu… If he hadn't poisoned my nephew, I would have let him live.' Taji looked through the one way mirror and stood stoically.

Back in the room Daichi took a deep breath and steeled his heart. He couldn't show any mercy or sympathy now or it would ruin his plan.

With the smile erased from his face, Daichi asked the man a question. "You said you were willing to die for your master. But are you willing to live for him?"

The captured guard was puzzled. Daichi continued.

"Since you've told me your story, I suppose it's only fair that I share something with you as well. As you may know, I studied under Lady Tsunade and learned her medical skills. She is the best in her field. Her knowledge, the skills in the medical arts. It's amazing to see her at work. But one of her few problems is that she is a gambling addict. And her luck… My God! The woman has the worst luck on the planet!"

Daichi sighed and shook his head thinking about his mentor. He carried on. "A year ago Lady Tsunade and I were hiking through the Three Wolves Mountain range looking for rare herbs. During our journey we encountered the people living there on top of the snowy mountain. Those people rarely come down and interact with the 'Earth dwellers' as they called us.. They had several precious herbs and medicines in their possession. Ones we wanted to find and study. The tribal leader, a man of great cunning and wisdom, quickly found out about my sensei's gambling addiction and made several wagers. As you can expect she lost all the wagers made and we had to give up our goods one by one until only the clothes on our backs were left. And so to get back what we lost and get the herbs they have, I made a bet with the man. Lady Tsunade and I would be their servants forever if he won or we would get everything they took from us plus a few samples of their rare herbs. Thank God it was only Tsunade's skills that were passed on to me and not her luck. We would have been screwed in that case."

"Is there a point to this?" Junichiro asked Daichi with a scoffing smile.

"I'm getting there. Patience." Daichi chuckled and replied.

"Now where was I? Oh yeah. We won the bet and got everything we needed. The tribal leader was impressed with my guts and invited me to witness their 'Moon Dance' ritual. It was something they did once a year. It was to honor the moon god for his blessings and such. During the ritual I watched a tribal member suspend himself from a tall tree with flesh hooks through his chest. 6 hours he dangled. His skin stretched like rubber. And below him was a deep pit filled with hot burning coal. He didn't show any pain or discomfort. It was as if his soul left his body to communicate with the Moon God's spirit."

Junichiro and those standing outside were silent as they listened to Daichi's story. It was quite captivating.

"Once the ritual was over and the man was safely on the ground, I walked up to him. I asked him whether he was afraid of falling into that burning pit or not."

Daichi's smile left his face and he became serious. He looked straight into Junichiro's eyes and spoke in a somewhat cold tone. "He looked at me with a straight face and said no. He told me that death was just another shortstop in our spirit's journey. Like you he wasn't afraid of death or pain and suffering. But you know what terrified him? The thought of spending his days in a dark hole, deep in the earth, trapped, unable to move and just waiting for the end."

The sudden change in Daichi's story took everyone by surprise.

The Genin looked at the restrained man with no hint of mercy.

"I know you're willing to die for your master. But are you willing to live for him?... If you don't tell me where Jedayu is, I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to do the opposite. I'm going to make a concrete box just big enough to get you in and then I'm gonna bury you alive deep into the earth."

Daichi stood and slowly walked up to the tied up man. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "The human body is a paradox. It can be unbelievably strong and at the same time it's incredibly fragile. We can survive without food for 2 months before giving up.. But if you force my hand and make me bury you, I will make sure you live far longer than two months. Junichiro… I want you to imagine… Your Chakra sealed and your body restrained. Being trapped in a small box. No way out. Just two small holes that will bring you just enough air and an IV drip that will keep you alive for years. And no one will stop me. You know why? Because of you Lord Taji's nephew is dead. And he will make sure you suffer his pain."

As Daichi painted that picture, the clam facade of the man started to slowly vanish. He looked in horror at the child near him. "You monster."

"To you, I could be…" Daichi took a scroll from his pouch and took out several things from it.

He placed a vial first on the table. "This is a special concoction that will destroy the part of your brain that makes you sleep. Without sleep, the toxins in the brain build up and it deteriorates the organ. This process will drive the person insane. Their mind would slowly collapse in on itself without the person even realizing it."

Junichiro shook his head defiantly. "N-No. That can't be. The Yamanaka-"

"It doesn't matter how many protections he placed inside your mind. If your organ is physically failing then no amount of mental defenses will help you. In fact those shields will only prolong your agony." Daichi said, relaying the cold hard facts.

As Jedayu's guard stayed silent, Daichi continued putting on the pressure. The next item he placed on the table was an IV bag. "The liquid in this bag contains essential vitamins and boosters. It can keep a person in your condition who is relatively unharmed, alive for several months. Attach a few of these to you and you'll live for several years.."

Daichi looked Junichiro dead in his eyes and gave an ultimatum. "If you force my hand, I will inject the vial, hook you up to this bag and bury you so deep so you won't even be able to think about seeing the sun."

Daichi walked around him and looked at the man with a stern visage. "You're strong. But you're not that strong. Trapped in that darkness, your mind would collapse and your body would slowly destroy itself from within. I have no doubt that by the sixth or seventh day, you'd scream your throat bloody and by the end of the second week, most of your sanity will be gone. And each second from that point forward would feel like an eternity to you…"

Daichi became silent and got back to his seat. He looked at the unparalleled horror and fear that appeared on the man's face. 'Jesus Christ, I sound like such a fucking edgelord. But I have no choice. If I want to complete my quest, I need this guy to talk. And since my Mana puppetry isn't working on him, this will have to do.'

The people standing outside were silent and had wide eyes and dropped jaws. Never did they imagine the charming Genin to have such a dark side to him. They saw the unimaginable fear on Junichiro's face and they could perfectly understand that reaction. They would show the same reaction if such a threat was posed against any one of them.

Junichiro looked at Daichi's face to see if he was bluffing but seeing the boy's cold hardened face he knew the truth. 'He's really going to do it.'

The second this realization sank in, Junichiro tried to reach for the kunai that was in front of him. Even though he was strapped to the chair, he made every effort to break free and reach for the weapon. He tried his best for several seconds before stopping.

The man was breathing hard with sweat dripping down his face. He looked shocked at what he was experiencing.

"You went for it. So you really tired to kill yourself for your master. And since biting your tongue isn't an option, you went for the blade."

"This was your experiment?" The restrained man asked in fear.

"Yes. It was a test on the human psyche… You're sweating. This must be a new experience for you isn't it. I heard that people with your condition rarely sweat." Daichi spoke in a casual tone looking at the man.

He stood from his spot and walked up to the man. Daichi pointed to the vial and IV bag and gave the man a choice. "A prolonged agonizing painful life…. Or"

"A quick relatively painless death." Daichi said, pointing at the kunai.

"What do you choose? Live or die?"

Junichiro was silent and several moments later tears formed and started rolling down his cheeks. He didn't make a single sound but the tears kept coming.

Daichi was silent and he patiently waited. A minute later Junichiro spoke. "I want you to do it."

Daichi raised an eyebrow and waited for the man to elaborate. "Do what?"

"I will tell you Master Jedayu's location. But I want you to kill me right after. It has to be you. No one else. A quick painless death. Give me your word that you'll do it."

Daichi was silent and glanced at the mirror in the room for a second.

Genma was about to step forward and knock on the glass to stop Daichi but Lord Taji stopped him. The special Jonin gritted his teeth and then thought about what was at stake and stood still.

Seeing no response from the other side, Daichi made his decision. "Tell me your master's location and I'll give you a quick death. You have my word."

Junichiro sighed and then spoke. "East plaza. Kumoragi Mansion. That's where he is."

Daichi was scanning his vitals and saw that the man was telling the truth. He sighed and picked up the kunai.

"I hope you have better luck in your next life." With those words and before anyone could come in and stop him, Daichi plunged the Kunai into the man's heart.

"Argh…" Within seconds the life faded from his eyes and blood slowly trickled down his lips and chest.

He placed everything back in his scroll and slowly walked out of the room. The Genin looked at the faces of everyone with an unreadable expression. "East Plaza. Kumoragi Mansion. We should move quickly…"

With those words he walked away before anyone could say anything.

—-------------

Author's Note:

The adventurous gamer ninja is my first story.

The character Daichi is a morally grey ninja. His self interests will be his first priority but he does take actions based on his emotions on a few occasions. Like saving Reo Uchiha.

Now, I have never written a scene with an edge theme like this before so I'm not sure what you viewers are feeling. Does this interrogation come as natural, cool or forced? Do you find anything cringy when reading it? I'm curious to know your thoughts.

Comment below.

On another note enjoy the 3k chapter and the 200th chapter of this story.